Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Pours dark brown but looks black and opaque in the glass. A medim size tan head is quite creamy and has very good retention.

Aroma: very well balanced and pleasant blend of vanilla beans, dark bread, and light alcohol esters with hints of coffee and dark fruits.

Flavor: a generous amount of vanilla with a very natural flavor. Not so much vanilla as to mask the dark roasted grains nor some alcohol esters. Both the alcohol and the vanilla fade in the aftertaste leaving a gentle impression of dark, vanilla iced bread and coffee.

O: very enjoyable and definitely preferred over the smoked version. (668 characters)

12 oz. Near black pour, thin layer of light tan head. Retains ok and laces the glass just a bit.

Aroma, Chocolates and vanilla. Lesser roast malt.

Taste, Vanilla up front. More roast malt here. Cocoa and a little coffee in the slightly dry finish.

Clean and easy drinking, not overly done with the vanilla. Medium body and a medium amount of carbonation. Maybe just a tad thinner than preferred, but that helps the drinkability.Not bad at all. (447 characters)

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass. Bottled on 10/22/13 lasered on the bottleneck. Received in an informal "locals" exchange with my good friend Erinn in Atlanta.

A: Almost black with a think cap of light beige tightly bubbled head with a few stray lace spots.

S: Vanilla is the dominant aroma but there are notes of coffee, caramel, dates, raisins, and chocolate. It does not have the chemical vanilla flavors the beers that use extract frequently have.

T: Good but somewhat one-dimensional flavor, reminiscent of vanilla cola. There are some roasty and chocolate flavors in the finish that are increased with warming. The coffee of the nose are there in the flavor, while the caramel sweetness gets a little heavy with progress through the beer. I am glad I shared this with my wife. The hopping is mainly countering bitterness. There is little to no alcohol or yeast presence.

M: A bit overfizzed which makes it seem more astringent and acidic in the mouth. Light-medium body with a slightly tacky and mildly chemical feel to it.

O: Vanilla Gorilla is a decent beer but the vanilla plus the sweetness hurts drinkability. It would be nice if they upped the maltiness without accentuating sweetness as this comes off as a chocolate creme soda. (1,288 characters)

12oz bottle, $2.75 at Barrel and Barley, poured into a Brick Mason snifter. #properglassware and all that jazz.

Continually impressed by the new brewing team at Red Brick. This year's Vanilla Gorilla has the perfect amount of vanilla, and an awesome white chocolate back bone with hints of roasted coffee coming through. Mouthfeel is light and fluffy -- as it should be with a porter. Spot on fellas. Job well done! (416 characters)

Pours a deep pitch black with a one finger medium tan head that fades away rather quickly leaving a thick ring around the top of the beer.

Vanilla is strongly present in the aroma along with heavy roasted malt. There is a touch of coffee and dark chocolate along with a whiff of dark fruits.

The vanilla is even more present in the taste along with plenty of nuttiness and more dark fruit. The coffee is more restrained but lots of roast is still there. Mouthfeel is thick and silky with a lingering sweetness. There is a quick note of alcohol towards the finish.

Overall, this beer is not quite outstanding but it is pretty well put together. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in drinkability. I probably won't pick it up again but I'm glad I got to try it. (795 characters)

Brewed in the style of an American Porter with vanilla beans added. Entry #8 into the Red Brick Brewing's Brick Mason one-off series, there is no label information for this beer.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a Red Brick snifter. Served above 58º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a creamy, frothed cocoa cream head over a very dark brown, near black body, very dense. Retention is above average and lacing is light and stringy. 4.5

(Smell) Moderate roasted malt, a pinch of cocoa nibs, some lactic sweetness and a pinch of black patent malt for an earthy bitterness. A pleasing vanilla aroma amidst the malt profile is mellow by comparison but certainly a potent component of the aroma. The aroma is fairly well balanced with a good balance of earthy and grainy bitterness to malt sweetness. Potency is medium. 3.75

(Taste) Moderately toasted caramel malts, earthy black patent malt bitterness over a subtle under sweetened bready malt base. Unfortunately, the vanilla bean is much less of a key component in the flavor than it was in the aroma and doesn't play much benefit to the diversity of the flavor of the beer here. The porter finishes with a wave of moderately roasted malt for a nice toasty finish. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Mouthfeel is smooth, moderately full and creamy. Carbonation generates a creamy, soft texture with a minimal frothiness. Body is medium+ for an American Porter and medium+ overall, although the body may be to a minimum within the "imperial" porter market. Balance is nearly equal between bitterness and sweetness with a slight edge to the latter for a fuller-bodied but still very drinkable porter. Alcohol presence is mild and astringencies are to a minimum. 3.75

(Overall) Red Brick crafts fine porters if nothing else, and Vanilla Gorilla, in its standard and smoked variations (released in 2011 & 2012) seem to be some of the highest demand beers that they've done in recent years. For what it's worth, it's a solid crafted malt body with a niche market invested in vanilla beans that just doesn't pan out as distinctively as one may hope, playing more of a contribution to the beer than making itself a headliner. I don't expect Red Brick to shy away from the Vanilla Gorilla market too soon, but think that refining the balance of ingredients could bring out the unique subtleties of vanilla more. As dangerous to drinkability as it may sound, a beer that has a strong vanilla bean emphasis- thinking vanilla bean ice cream- may be preferable for some, but to a few, the vanilla that they find in this beer may fall below expectations. 3.75

Appearance: very dark brown, not quite opaque. Some cola highlights. Modest tan head.Smell: subtle vanilla, but up front. Not a lot else happening but a nice nose.Taste: much like the nose. Vanilla is prominent but not overdone. Overall: very smooth. Easy drinker. Doesn't knock your socks off but well done. (311 characters)

Bottle is very eye appealing , Color is a rich dark brown . Not much of a smell to it , slightly carbonated , Vanilla is obvious, with hints of chocolate and fruits, has an overall pleasant taste, not much of a bitter finish. Beer is not terrible , but it's not one of the best porters I put in my mouth. Would buy again if I could find. (337 characters)